


These sunbeams follow me

by KrazySuperGirl



Series: Billions of Beautiful Hearts [7]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Background Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne - Freeform, Batdad, Batfamily, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce still can't count his kids, Bruce's kids ship BatCat, Domestic Batfamily, Fluff, Gen, Good Big Brother Dick Grayson, Good Parent Crystal Brown, Hurt/Comfort, Implied past Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne, Or atleast she tries, Reference/Implied Attempted Child Molestation, Referenced/Implied Drug Abuse, Referenced/Implied Past Miscarriage, Selina is confused, Selina is still Catmom, Single Parent Bruce Wayne, Steph is adorable, Worried Parent Bruce Wayne, but they are fighting right now, good batdad, lots of, several breakfast scenes, sibling shenanigans, so are ll the kids, soft batdad, sorry - Freeform, they almost cause a fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrazySuperGirl/pseuds/KrazySuperGirl
Summary: “Okay, but your mom will be worried. You can stay here for an hour or two, but then I have to take you home.”Immediately, Stephanie blurts out, “No!” Her eyes widen and she looks like she didn't mean to say that.Bruce stills. “Stephanie, is there a reason you stowed away with my kids instead of going home?” he asks again.Stephanie doesn't answer, but her silence is telling. Suddenly Bruce remembers Jim joking the other night that it had been too long since the last Arkham breakout. “Is this about your father?” Bruce asks.(Or: There is a little girl that keeps showing up when Bruce least expects it, and he really wishes it would stop, that is, he wishes the reasons it keeps happening would stop.)
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Stephanie Brown, Bruce Wayne & His Children, Crystal Brown & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne
Series: Billions of Beautiful Hearts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624645
Comments: 40
Kudos: 489





	These sunbeams follow me

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Never Get You Right](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17384579) by [audreycritter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/audreycritter/pseuds/audreycritter). 



> So sorry for the long absence! I majorly lost steam on this series, and I didn't write for a while. To make it up to you, I'll post some drawings I did for this AU later (if I can figure out how to put pictures on Ao3).
> 
> Also, I am so extremely surprised that I wrote something this long. I did not expect to be able to do that. Especially after not writing for a while.
> 
> Another side note, that fic in the "inspired by" line is the best Steph story to ever story, and I love it to death.
> 
> Again, another side note, in the last story, there was a part I was unsure about. I know that some comic writers make something bad happen to female characters for the sole purpose of causing male characters pain. The part I am unsure about, I was afraid I might have done exactly that. It was something that happened to a very minor character, though, and the only way I saw of showing the importance of what had happened to her was to have Bruce react to it. I was hoping that by doing that, the readers would feel the impact of what had happened through Bruce's reaction, but not feel like how it impacted Bruce was what mattered most. I'm sorry, I'm trying, but I don't think I'm explaining this well. Anyway, if you guys could give feedback on that, it would be much appreciated.
> 
> For clarity's sake, here are the kids' ages. Dick is 13/14, Jason is 9, Steph is 7, Tim is a few months younger than her, 6 going on 7, Harper is 4/5, and Cullen is 2/3.
> 
> EDIT: I posted this, and forgot to add a summary, so sorry about that.

Batman parks the Batmobile and gets out, ready to patrol. Bruce thinks about his kids, and hopes they’re going to bed soon, because he doesn't think he’ll be able to handle them tomorrow if they’re grumpy and sleep-deprived. Before he can climb up to the roof to start his patrol, a noise attracts his attention.

A little girl, probably six or seven years old, with long blond hair and a purple sweater, is standing off to the side of the alley. “Woah.” she says. “You’re the Batman!”

“I am.” he says, crouching down in front of her. “And you are?”

“I’m Stephanie.”

“It’s nice to meet you Stephanie. Do you have a home to go to?” She doesn't look homeless, so if she’s living on the streets, it hasn't been for long.

She stares at him, then finally nods her head.

“Okay, that’s good.” he says, but then he pauses and tilts his head like he’s listening to something. Steph listens too, but she can’t hear anything. Maybe Batman has super-hearing?

Batman gets up. “I have to go. Stay here. When I get back, I can help you get home safely.”

Then he swings away into the night. Steph stares after him. He’s just as big as she thought he’d be. He’s super nice too. She’s always dreamed that he’d come save her, and make her dad stop being a criminal and making her mom sad. Batman doesn't know that she needs help though. She’ll have to tell him. But that means she’ll have to tell him about her dad, and her dad says she’s acting like a baby if she talks about the bad stuff he does, just because she doesn't like her mom being upset. If she acts like a big kid though, maybe Batman will believe her that her dad is doing bad things, and he won't think she’s just complaining because she’s little.

Steph has to figure out how to act like a big girl. All the older kids talk about what they do with their friends. They always act like they don’t need their parents. Maybe Steph just has to act like she can take care of herself. She could get food and stuff so she doesn't starve. She wanted to run away tonight, but she needs food. Mom is sleeping, and Dad is with his friends. They won't notice she was gone, and she can just run away tomorrow, with the food this time.

With that decided, Stephanie leaves to find her way back home. When Batman returns, the girl is gone, but before he can decide whether to go after her or not, the police scanner connected to his earpiece announces an armed robbery with hostages at a nearby bank. The girl didn't seem lost, so he chooses the bank robbery.

The next night, tired and nursing a concussion from apprehending Cluemaster, Batman climbs into the Batmobile to go home. When he’s already almost home, a voice comes from beside him. “Where are we going?”

Batman startles  _ hard _ , he swears and the car swerves dangerously.

It’s the girl from last night, Stephanie. She throws her hand out when the car swerves. “Woah! Why did you do that?”

Batman ignores her question. “How did you get in here?”

She gives him a look that plainly says what she thinks of that question. “I opened the door.”

Batman just keeps staring at her. “How long have you been here?”

“I don’t know. I think it was twenty minutes. Or maybe it was three hours. No, that's too long. Wait,” she squints at him. “How long have you been in here? Because it’s the same time. I got in when you did.”

Batman stares some more. Did he really not notice a child getting into the car with him? Was she really that quiet, or is his concussion just that bad? Who is this child?

“Code 147” he says to the built-in computer. It runs a facial recognition scan on the car’s occupants. The results show up on the display: “Stephanie Brown. Parents: Arthur Brown, Crystal Brown. Address: 115 South Holden Street. Date of Birth. School.”

“Why are you here?” That is a better question to ask.

Stephanie sits straighter at that question. She puts on a serious face and says, “I need your help. My dad is a criminal and he needs to be stopped.”

Batman is seriously going to need to get that concussion checked out. He is starting to doubt he’s even lucid right now. “Is your dad the Cluemaster?”

Stephanie brightens. “Yes. How did you know? Do you have mind-reading superpowers?”

“I just arrested him tonight.”

The girl’s eyes go wide to match her gasp. “You do have mind-reading superpowers! I ran away because my dad was doing bad stuff, and then you arrested him the same night! I didn't even have to tell you anything! That’s awesome! I always wanted you to come save me, and right when I decided to ask you, you did it!”

Batman waits for a pause. “I have to call your mother now and take you home, okay? Your father is in jail now, so you can go back home.”

“You can’t call my mom.” Stephanie says. “She’s probably asleep. She takes her pills, and then she goes to sleep, and she doesn't wake up for a long time. Except, that mostly happens when she’s upset, and cuz my dad was home and then he got arrested, she’s gonna be upset.”

Bruce sighs. They’re driving into the Cave now, and really, he has no idea why he kept driving instead of stopping the car, but it’s too late now. He gets out, followed by Stephanie, who gapes at the Cave and the dinosaur and giant penny.

“This is Stephanie Brown.” he says to Alfred. He does not have the energy to decipher the look the butler is giving him. “Her father is Cluemaster, and…”

He stops. “...And I’ll explain later. She needs food, pajamas and a bed. I need to lie down. I’m getting dressed, then I’ll come help.”

Alfred doesn't respond before Bruce walks away, too confused to say anything sooner. 

Bruce gets changed out of his suit and into some sweatpants and a T-shirt. He tries to shake the feeling of unease that spreads through him at the thought that this child had nowhere else to go. She’s just a little girl. A very brave and determined little girl, but a little girl nonetheless. Any father should be grateful to have her as his daughter, but instead, Arthur Brown is off robbing banks and being captured by Batman. What if he had lost her before-

He stops that train of thought. Stephanie Brown is unrelated to him and what had happened between him and Talia. She’s here, she’s alright, and there is no need for him to start thinking of what could have been. Just because she’s a child, doesn't mean she’s like-

He stops again and curses his concussion for allowing his thoughts to get out of control. What happened happened. Bruce can’t change it, and it does no good to dwell on what he lost.

He goes upstairs to find Alfred and Stephanie. They’re in the kitchen, Alfred heating up some leftovers, and Stephanie telling the story of how she got here. “...and he said a really bad word, and the car went-” she makes a swerving gesture with her whole body. “And we almost went off the road!” she exclaims.

Bruce does not need to look at Alfred to know what face he’s giving him. He will not look either, because his head is killing him, and he will not make it worse by looking at the non-verbal lecture Alfred is giving him.

He says to the girl, “Stephanie, you’re going to sleep here tonight, but tomorrow, I’m going to take you back home, alright?”

Stephanie looks disappointed about that, but she just says, “Yeah, okay.”

Alfred gives Stephanie her food, and Bruce gets his own food, then Bruce brings her up to a guest room so she can get ready for bed. 

In the morning, Steph wakes up and leaves her room, only to run into a boy, a couple years older than her. He stops when he sees her, then she asks, “Who are you?”

“Who am I?” he echoes. “I’m Jason.” he says, as if it was obvious. “Who are you?”

“I’m Steph.” she answers.

“What are you doing here?”

“Batman brought me here. What are  _ you _ doing here?”

“I live here!” Jason exclaims, a bit insulted. “Wait,” he says. “Is Dad going to adopt you?”

At the same time, an older boy walks up. “Who are you?” he asks.

“I’m Steph.” she repeats exasperatedly.

“Dad brought her here.” Jason adds.

“Are we keeping her?” the older boy asks.

A boy around Steph’s age with Superman pajamas walks up holding the hand of a toddler. Jason whispers to them, “That’s Steph.”

“Why would you keep me?” Steph asks in response to the older boy’s question.

“Because our dad adopts all the orphans he finds.”

“Wait, is your dad Batman?”

She gets a variety of affirmative responses. At some point, a girl in a blue cat onesie wanders over to the conversation. The boy with the Superman pajamas says, “But Batman is a secret.”

Jason responds, “Yeah, but she’s part of the family now.”

The boy accepts it, but Steph objects, “But I’m not an orphan.”

The kids are surprised. “You’re not? Why did Dad bring you here?”

Steph tells them defensively, “My dad is a criminal, so I had to ask Batman to arrest him.”

“Your dad is a criminal?”

“Yes.” Steph confirms warily. She doesn't know how they’ll react to that.

“My dad was a criminal too.” Jason says. “I don't like him, but he died, and I got a new dad.”

“Harper and Cullen’s dad is a criminal too.” the older boy pipes up, pointing to the toddler and the girl in the onesie. “But don’t tell Dad I know that. I’m not supposed to know.”

“Does Batman adopt all the criminals’ kids?” Steph asks.

The older boy answers her. “No. Then he’d have like a hundred kids.” 

“My dad wasn't a criminal.” the boy with Superman pajamas objects.

“Your dad left you alone, Timmy.” the oldest says.

“Yeah, but he wasn't a criminal.” he insists.

“Is Batman going to adopt me?” Steph asks. “I have a mom.”

“If your mom is good, he won’t.” Superman kid says.

The older boy adds, “You can still be in our family, though.”

Steph, realizing these are Batman’s children, asks, “Do I get superpowers if I’m in your family?”

Jason frowns, puzzled. “No, but you get Batman. He’s a super-Dad!”

“What superpowers does Batman have?”

“Batman is so awesome he doesn't need superpowers!” the Superman kid exclaims.

“Really?”

Most of them nod, but the girl in the blue onesie, either Harper or Cullen, says, “No, his superpower is being our dad!”

“But I still have a dad.”

The oldest smiles. “That’s okay, you can have two dads.”

“And two moms?”

“Who would be your other mom?” Jason asks.

“ _ Your _ other mom.”

The oldest says, “We don’t have an other mom.”

“Yeah, we do. Selina!” Superman kid interjects.

“I meant officially.” the boy rolls his eyes.

Jason rolls his eyes right back. “Nobody cares about officially.”

Steph interrupts the exchange that looks like it's about to turn into bickering. “Who’s Selina?”

“Selina is Catwoman.” the toddler tells her proudly.

“Catwoman is your mom?” Steph reiterates.

“Yeah.” says the girl in the onesie confirms. “Dad likes her, and they’re going to get married.”

The toddler nods. “‘S true.” he says.

Jason adds, “Except Dad keeps saying they’re not going to get married.”

“Yeah. It’s annoying.” says Superman kid.

Just then, Alfred walks up. “Ah, here you are. I was wondering what had kept you. I see you met Miss Stephanie?”

“Hi Alfred.” the oldest boy chirps.

At the same time, Jason says, “Yep, she’s our sister now.”

“We need more girls.” says Superman kid.

“I hope you are all aware Miss Stephanie will not be staying?” the Englishman asks them.

“Yeah, but she’s still our sister.” Jason repeats.

“Alright, I suppose that is fair. Now, would you all like to have your breakfast instead of loitering in the hallway?” Alfred asks pointedly.

There is a chorus of yeses, and the kids start following Alfred as a group towards the kitchen. The boy with the Superman pajamas asks, “Did you make pancakes?”

“Indeed I did, Master Tim.”

A few of them cheer, and onesie girl turns around to tell Steph, “Alfred’s pancakes are the best!”

Alfred hums noncommittally. “Have you all introduced yourselves, or did you just bombard Miss Stephanie with your conversation?” All the kids look at her apologetically.

“I’m Dick.” the oldest boy says cheerfully.

“I introduced myself already.” Jason says.

The boy with the Superman pajamas grins at her. “I’m Tim.”

“I’m Harper.” The girl in the blue cat onesie bounces along beside her. She nudges the toddler. “M Cull’n.” he mumbles.

They're in the dining room. Batman is sitting at the table already. Dick goes up to him and gives him a hug with “Morning, Babi.” He grunts but returns the hug. Everyone else says good morning, and when Cullen comes over, Batman picks him up and puts him in his lap. Steph sits at the only other place set but not taken, and accepts pancakes from Alfred. After a moment, she asks, “Do you get called Batman all the time?”

Batman looks up at her like he’s surprised to see her there. After a second, he registers the question and smiles. “No. You can call me Bruce.”

“Kay. Bruce.” she says.

Bruce is not surprised to see her, in fact. He is, however, caught off guard. He hadn't registered her entrance at all, and when she spoke, he had been expecting one of his kids.

Bruce is not adopting this girl. She has parents. And why did he even let her see his secret identity in the first place?

He finishes breakfast to the sounds of Stephanie asking questions about Batman and the rest of the kids answering. He chimes in occasionally when the conversation prompts it, and reminds himself to tell Stephanie to keep his identity secret.

After all the kids have been sent off to school, Bruce drives Stephanie back to her home. On the way there, he says to Stephanie, “You can’t tell anyone about who I am.”

Stephanie asks, “Why not?”

“Because if somebody bad finds out who I am, they might decide to hurt the people I care about, because it will hurt me.”

“Oh.” she says solemnly.

Bruce says, “You can tell your mom that I found you and brought you home, but you can’t tell her my name, or that I have kids and that you know where I live. It has to stay secret. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I can keep secrets. I do it all the time.” Stephanie says proudly.

Bruce smiles sadly at that. “Thank you Stephanie.”

When they get to Stephanie’s house, Bruce stops the car and lets her out. He drives away, then idles out of sight until he sees her enter the house.

Bruce does his best to put the incident out of his mind, but he lasts only two days before he gives in and checks up on Stephanie and her mother. The school records show Stephanie going to school, with no concerns noted by the teachers, and Crystal Brown returned to work the day after Stephanie returned. Somewhat satisfied, Bruce checks up on them a second time a week later, but leaves them be afterwards.

A month later though, Bruce walks in the kitchen to find Stephanie sitting at the table, eating an after-school snack with his kids. Not registering her presence as unusual, he walks over to the fridge to get a drink, then stops. He turns around. Looks at Stephanie.

“Hello Stephanie.” he says, bewildered.

“Hi Bat - Bruce-man...B.” she says, stumbling over his name. Her voice is chipper, but her feet are tapping anxiously. Bruce smiles reassuringly at her.

Dick snickers and the rest of the kids greet him with ‘Hi Dad’s. Bruce blinks in confusion, grabs his drink, and leaves to find Alfred.

Bruce asks the butler, “Why is Stephanie here?”

“Miss Stephanie stowed away in the car.”

Bruce frowns. “Do you know why?”

“She did not say, but it seems her class had a field trip to visit Gotham Academy. When she saw the young masters, she decided to evade her teachers to avoid returning with her class, and she snuck into the car when I arrived to pick them up.”

“How did you not notice her?” Bruce asks.

“I did.” Alfred answers, giving Bruce a look that says exactly what he thinks about Bruce’s question. “I felt that it would be better to take her home with us than to leave her there alone.”

“Okay.” Bruce says.

Alfred adds, “Perhaps you should ask her yourself why she felt it was necessary to do something like this.”

Bruce nods. He returns to the kitchen where the kids are. There, Stephanie and Tim are arguing with Jason about whether pie is better than cake. Stephanie glances nervously at Bruce when he enters, but she continues bantering cheerfully with the two boys.

Harper stretches her arm out for a hug, and Bruce obliges her, teasingly snatching a piece of muffin from Dick at the same time. Dick gives him a glare, and Bruce ruffles his hair, asking, “How was your day at school?”

Dick launches into a retelling of his day, and the others join in. After Tim finishes telling a story about one of his classmates starting a fire during science class, Bruce asks, “What about you, Stephanie? How was your day?”

Stephanie looks momentarily surprised, but then she starts enthusiastically explaining everything that happened. “It was good. We had a field trip to Gotham Academy, but that was boring. My friend, Abby, brought her new bracelet to school, and she let me wear it, and it’s really pretty. Her aunt made it for her. This morning, my teacher got mad at me, because I had to borrow a pencil, but that was because I don't have enough pencils, because Jimmy doesn't give them back when he borrows them, and Mom says she can't buy me new ones. And, Tom was being mean to Sam on the bus ride, but then Darla got him back by dumping mud on his head. The teacher didn't like that though, and she got mad at us, but nobody told her who did it, and we told her that it was because Tom was being mean, so now everybody is in trouble, except Tom is in the most trouble.”

Bruce smiles, “It sounds like you had an eventful day.”

“Yup!” Stephanie says, popping the ‘p’.

“Do you still have that history project to work on?” Bruce asks Jason.

Jason answers reluctantly, “Yeah.”

“You’d better go work on that, then. I’ll come see if you need help in a bit, okay?”

“Kay.” Jason says, and gathers the books he needs.

Bruce asks the others, “Do you have homework too?”

Dick answers “yes” and the others, “no”.

Bruce sends them off, saying, “I need to talk to Stephanie for a bit. Dick, go work on your homework. Tim, Harper, and Cullen, you can go play. Stephanie will come play with you soon.”

When the other kids have all left, Bruce says to Stephanie, “Alfred told me you snuck into the car to come here. Why did you do that?”

Stephanie answers unhelpfully, “Because.”

Bruce says, “You’re not in trouble, Stephanie. I just need to know why you did it. Did you just want to spend time with the others?”

Stephanie answers after a pause, “Yes.”

Bruce figures from her tone that’s not the reason, but he just says, “Okay, but your mom will be worried. You can stay here for an hour or two, but then I have to take you home.”

Immediately, Stephanie blurts out, “No!” Her eyes widen and she looks like she didn't mean to say that.

Bruce stills. “Stephanie, is there a reason you stowed away with my kids instead of going home?” he asks again.

Stephanie doesn't answer, but her silence is telling. Suddenly Bruce remembers Jim joking the other night that it had been too long since the last Arkham breakout. “Is this about your father?” Bruce asks.

Stephanie stubbornly keeps her mouth shut, but she looks like she’s about to cry. “Stephanie,” Bruce says gently, “I’m not going to make you go back if your father is there and if he’s going to hurt you, but if you tell me what happened, I’ll be able to do something about it. Are you afraid to go home because of your father?”

Finally, Stephanie nods. She says tearfully, “He escaped, and he came and told Mom she had to give him money, and she had to let him stay at our house, and he brought his friends, and they’re all mean and scary, and they make Mom cry, and you’re Batman, and you caught him, but he escaped, and now he’s back and he’s doing bad stuff again, and what if he keeps escaping, and what if he never goes away, and what if even Batman can't stop him?”

Bruce puts a hand on her back as she starts to cry, rubbing soothing circles on her back. “It’s alright, kiddo. It’ll be alright. You can stay here tonight, and in the morning, your father will be arrested, and then you can go home.”

“I wanna stay.” Stephanie pouts, but this time, Bruce knows it’s just the normal wanting to stay at a friend’s house to have fun.

“I’m sorry. You can’t. Your mom will be very worried.” he says.

“She won't even notice.” she protests, but she doesn't sound like she means it.

“She will.” Bruce counters. “But for now, you can go play. You don't have to go home until tomorrow.”

She sniffles. “Okay.” she says, and runs off after taking the tissue Bruce offers her.

That night, Batman arrests Cluemaster again, and delivers him promptly to the authorities. If he’s a bit more brutal than usual, Commissioner Gordon doesn't mention it.

The next morning, Bruce gets a rude awakening in the form of the smoke detector. At six in the morning, the alarm invades his dreams, and he wakes up to chaos. 

When he finally gets untangled from his blankets and gets to the kitchen, he finds it full of smoke. The smoke is coming from the waffle iron, which is occupied with a lump of badly burnt...something. There is no fire, but there is a lot of smoke.

Dick is frantically fumbling with the waffle iron, trying to turn it off while wearing bulky oven mitts. 

Stephanie is yelling at him, “Hurry up! Before it starts a fire!”

Harper is holding a bowl of what might generously be called batter, staring dumbly at the smoking appliance.

Tim is hunched over with his hands over his ears.

Jason has a broom, and seems to be trying to silence the smoke detector by hitting it with the broom, but he keeps missing.

And Cullen is on the floor crying because of the noise.

Alfred arrives at the kitchen at the same time as Bruce, and he pauses to process the scene.

Just then, Jason gives up on the broom and grabs a glass from the counter. He pulls his arm back, aiming it at the shrieking smoke detector.

In tandem, Alfred and Bruce rush forward, Bruce to grab the glass from Jason before he can throw it, and Alfred to turn off the waffle iron and unplug it.

Their arrival makes everyone pause. Once Bruce silences the alarm, Cullen’s crying tapers off, and Jason lowers his now empty hand. Tim tentatively takes his hands from his ears, and Harper straightens the bowl that had been about to tip batter onto the floor. Dick folds his oven mitt hands in front of himself sheepishly, and Stephanie lowers the fork she had been waving at Dick, watching Bruce anxiously.

Bruce looks around the kitchen, spotting a bag of store-bought mix tipped over, some of the powder spilling out the opening. There is a puddle of water on another counter, and every surface is littered with bowls and measuring utensils. There is a bag of chocolate chips out, and Bruce can see lots of them in the batter that Harper is holding.

Bruce finally asks, “What happened?”

Dick answers, “We wanted to make waffles.”

“I can see that.” Bruce says dryly. “All of you?”

“Um, yes?”

“And whose idea was this?”

Dick’s eyes flick to Stephanie, but after an awkward pause, he says, “...mine?”

Bruce sighs. “Alright. You…”

Bruce stops. He had been about to tell them that they had to clean up their mess, but that would include Stephanie. Stephanie is a guest. If she had been one of Bruce’s kids, she would have to share in the consequences, but she isn't. Is it Bruce’s place to enforce those consequences when she isn't his child?

On one hand, punishing her would be out of line. On the other hand, Bruce wasn't even punishing his own kids, and their consequences were very mild. Cleaning up, along with a light scolding is the worst they’ll get, and if his kids made a mess at someone else’s house, he would expect them to take part in fixing it.

Yes, Bruce has been told that he isn't firm enough with his kids. But they are generally very well-behaved, so there’s no need for him to be strict with them. Maybe once they get to be teenagers, he’ll have to take a different approach. For now, Bruce doesn't want to be any stricter than he needs to be.

Bruce continues, “You all have to help clean up this mess. And why didn't you ask Alfred for waffles?”

Jason and Tim share a guilty look, and Bruce can guess that it’s because Alfred has not yet mastered the art of waffle-making, but they don’t want to say it.

It’s Harper though, who says, “Alfie was sleeping.”

Alfred interjects. “It would have been no trouble at all. In any case, I would have been up soon to begin my work, and I could have made you waffles then.”

Dick says, “We didn't think of that.”

“That is alright Master Dick.”

“Why were you up so early anyway?” Bruce asks them.

Jason recounts, “Steph woke up and bumped into a table, which woke Dickie up, and their talking woke me up, then Harper woke up, then Timmy woke up, and then Cullen woke up, and then we wanted waffles.”

“And you tried to make them yourselves.” Bruce finishes. “I’ve told you before that you’re not allowed to use the stove without supervision, but that also applies to the waffle iron. Dick is old enough to use it, except that he doesn't know how to, and the rest of you are too young.”

“Sorry, Dad.” Jason says.

“It’s alright. But please, don’t do it again. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

They giggle. “You’re old!” Harper chirps.

“I am not old.” Bruce says, giving them a flat stare. “I’m not even thirty.”

(And isn't that a scary thought. Bruce isn't even thirty yet, and he has six-seven- _ five _ kids. He loves them anyways.)

“And don't think I’m going to forget that you tried to throw a glass at the smoke alarm, young man.” Bruce says to Jason, who has the sense to look sheepish.

Bruce stifles a yawn. “I’m going to go get dressed. You all clean up your mess, and then we can have breakfast.”

They do as they’re told, and the rest of the morning is uneventful. They eat breakfast with the typical chattering from the kids, and the food is thankfully not waffles, though Bruce is sure Alfred is already starting to plan a future breakfast with waffles.

When Bruce decides that it’s time to leave, Stephanie pouts and half-heartedly tries to convince Bruce to let her stay longer, but gives up eventually. Bruce drives her back to her house, and this time, escorts her to the door. Stephanie’s mother answers the door, and as soon as she sees her daughter, she pulls her into a hug, exclaiming in relief, “Stephanie!”

Then, she turns her attention to Bruce. Crystal Brown appears sober, and Bruce can guess that finding out that her daughter was missing for the second time was enough to keep her temporarily sober. She looks him over with an assessing gaze. Bruce can tell the moment she recognizes him.

“Mr. Wayne.” she says politely and warily.

“Yes.” Bruce answers. “Mrs. Brown, I presume?”

“Yes.” she says, guiding Stephanie into the house behind her.

“Stephanie found her way into the car that picked my kids up from school. She hitched a ride to my house.” Bruce says.

“This was yesterday? Why didn't you bring her home?” Crystal asks indignantly.

“Stephanie told me why she ran away.” Bruce explains. “She told me about her father. I figured it was best to wait to send her back until he was dealt with. I’m good friends with the Commissioner. He told me when Cluemaster was arrested. I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

“Yes, well, you did bring her back. And for that, thank you.” Crystal says a bit gruffly.

“Of course. Your daughter is a bright young girl. I am glad to have met her, and my kids love her.” Bruce says, letting sincerity show in his face. “Have a good day Mrs. Brown.”

Bruce gives her a polite nod and she returns the farewell. Bruce leaves and gets in his car. It was very obvious that Crystal Brown didn't trust him. That’s not a surprise. She has very little reason to. Bruce would be surprised if she did trust him. A woman like her will have only ever seen things that show the worst in men like Bruce.

It bothers Bruce, that some people have been victimized so much that they will never fully trust again. It’s something he can’t do much about, as Batman or as Bruce Wayne. And he wishes he could do more for Stephanie and her mother, but at the moment, Crystal would be too wary of anything he offered.

Bruce goes home. There is nothing he can do. He checks up on them periodically, but they live their lives, and he lives his. That is, until Catwoman catches up to him as he’s leaving the roof of the GCPD three weeks later, with little Stephanie Brown in tow.

To say Selina had been surprised to find a child looking for Batman would be untrue. Batman was every Gothamite child’s hero. It wasn’t uncommon for children in trouble to look to Batman for help. The vigilante had a way about him that made any child feel safe, and he was often seen with a child under his cape, when he had just rescued them.

What was surprising was that this girl had asked Catwoman to help her find Batman, and then had referred to both Batman and Catwoman by their names.

Selina had just been patrolling the East End. She didn’t have any jobs tonight, and she sometimes patrolled her neighborhood to keep a lookout for trouble when she had free time.

Then she had heard a child calling for her. When she pinpointed the origin of the shout and made her way down to street level to find the person, she found a little blonde-haired girl, looking exhausted.

When she landed on the sidewalk in front of the girl, she exclaimed happily, “Catwoman!”

“Hello.” Selina said. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Steph.” the little girl answered. “Can you help me find Batman?”

“I can try. Why do you want to find Batman?”

“Because he helped me before, and I need help. Please, Selina? Please help me find him.”

Taken aback, Selina says, “I’ll help you, but why did you call me Selina?”

“Because that’s your name.” Steph answers in a ‘duh’ tone.

For a moment, Selina observes Steph, but she seems earnest, and she really wants to find Batman. Selina gives a tiny sign, then beckens Steph closer. She picks up the little girl to make travelling across the rooftops easier.

Before they swing up to the nearest roof, Steph says suddenly, “Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot! You have a secret identity! I just thought you would want to be called Selina and not Catwoman. B told me to call him Bruce, not Batman, but sometimes I forget, and all the names is really confusing, so I just call him B. But he said I can’t let anyone know his name, so you probably don’t want people knowing your name either. I accidentally said Batman’s name, but you already know it, so it’s probably okay, right?”

Selina doesn’t know how to feel about that particular revelation. She says, “Yes, thatś okay.” Then she warns Steph that they’re about to swing up to the roof.

Steph shrieks, and when the land, she gushes, “That was so cool! It was like we were flying! Do it again!”

Selina smiles. “Don’t worry. We’ll be doing plenty of swinging while we look for Batman.”

“Yes!” Steph exclaims. “This is awesome!”

Selina chuckles. They swing across a gap, and when they land, Selina asks, “So you know Batman?”

“Yeah.” Steph answers. “I asked him to arrest my dad because he’s a supervillain. And I got to ride in the Batmobile! It was so cool! Except B almost crashed. But that was cool too! It was like a scary-cool. Then Dick said I’m their new sister. I never had brothers or sisters before. Tim is almost the same age as me, but I’m pretty sure brothers and sisters can’t be the same age. Twins can, though. Does that mean me and Tim are twins?”

“I don’t think so, honey. You have to have the same parents and be born at the same time to be twins.”

“Oh.” Steph answers, a bit disappointed. She cheers up when they swing over another street. Then she says, “That’s okay. I love him anyways. I wish I could visit them more. I only went to their house twice, and they don’t come to my house. But they’re my brothers and my sister! We have to play together more! One time, we almost burned down the house!”

“You did?” Selina asks.

“Uh-huh. We were trying to make waffles, but they got burned. Jay tried to shut up the smoke alarm by throwing a cup at it. It didn’t work because B took the cup away. Then B made us clean up the mess.” Then Steph stops and asks, “Are we almost there? Where is he?”

“We’re almost there.” Selina assures her. “We’re going to the roof of the police building. Batman goes there a lot to meet with Commissioner Gordon. If you ever need Batman, it would be a good idea to go to him. He’s good friends with Batman.”

“Okay. Do you think if I asked nicely, B would take me swinging across the rooftops like this?”

Selina gives her a bemused look. She doesn’t think Batman would. He might think it’s too dangerous, but Steph is so excited. Selina doesn’t really want to tell her that. “Maybe.”

“Cool!” Steph says.

Then they get to the GCPD building. They stop on an adjacent rooftop, and watch while Batman talks to the Commissioner. Then Batman leaves, and Selina springs into action immediately. She’ll have to be fast to catch him. Batman must realize that he’s being followed though, because he slows down.

When Selina lands on the roof he’s standing on, he greets her with a short, “Catwoman.”

From Selina’s arms, Steph immediately chirps, “Hi B!”

“Stephanie?” he says.

Selina puts her down, and she goes up to Batman. ‘Yup! Selina helped me find you.”

“Selina?” he says, sounding just as surprised to hear her name as Selina herself was.

He focuses on Stephanie instead. “Why did you need to find me? Are you okay?”

“I need your help.”

“Is it your father again?” Bruce asks, concerned. Arthur Brown had been put in Blackgate, and they generally had better security than Arkham. Bruce hadn’t heard anything about trouble at Blackgate.

“No. There's a bad guy in our house, and Mom can’t do anything about it because he’s a cousin. I hate him, and he’s evil, and he’s a thief, and he’s making Mom let him stay at our house.”

“Okay,” Bruce reassures her. “I’ll deal with it. You need to tell me everything you know about him, though. I’ll take you home, and then I’ll arrest him, okay?”

“You mean your home, or my home?”

“My home. I’ll have to talk to your mother later too.”

“Okay.” Steph says cheerfully.

Then Selina says, “If this is resolved, I’ll be going now.”

Bruce looks up at her. She has a slight smile on her face when she looks at Steph, but something in her eyes is guarded. She has been distant with Bruce ever since she found out that he was Batman. They hadn’t been in a very serious relationship. It had been mostly casual, but even that had been destroyed when she found out his identity, and the fact that he knew she was Catwoman. After a while, Selina had started to cool off, and it seemed like she was interested again, but then everything with Talia had happened, and Selina became even colder towards him than she was before.

Bruce wishes she wasn’t mad at him. He genuinely likes her, and they had been starting to become close, close enough that she had even spent some time with his kids, but now she wasn’t talking to him. It’s not like he can blame her, but he does wish they were at least on speaking terms. They aren’t, so he offers her a nod as she departs from the roof.

Then, he turns his attention to Steph. He takes her to the Batmobile, and on the way to the Cave, she tells him about the cousin that is staying at her house. He drops her off at the Cave, where the kids are still up, since it’s still early in the night. Then, he returns to Gotham and finds the cousin hanging out at a bar. Batman waits, and follows him, until he gets into a fight in the back alley. Then, Batman swoops in and incapacitates him, leaving him for the police.

He opens the line to the Cave, saying, “Max Brown is caught. The police will have him in custody in ten minutes.”

Alfred responds. “Very good, sir. The children are pleased with this news.”

His words are punctuated with the voice of Steph saying, “You did it! Thank you, B! You’re awesome!”

Dick adds, “Good job B.”

Bruce answers by reminding them that they have to go to bed soon. “It’s almost time for you to go to bed. Did you brush your teeth?”

He receives a chorus of “Yes, Dad.”

Harper adds proudly, “I even brushed my tongue!”

Bruce replies with an amused, “Good job. Have a good sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Jason says, “Goodnight.”

Tim says, “Night, Daddy.”

Bruces says, “Sweet dreams. I love you.” then signs off. He continues his patrol with a smile.

Bruce arrives home after an uneventful patrol and goes to bed after checking in on the kids and finding them all peacefully asleep. In the morning, he goes to breakfast, and greets his kids good morning as usual. Steph though, seems to be upset. She doesn’t say much to the other kids, and nothing at all to Bruce. Nothing happens though, until Bruce asks, “Steph, could you pass the butter please?”

Then, Steph shouts, “No! You’re stupid, and I hate you! I hate you. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!”

With that, she bursts out crying and runs out of the room. Bruce sits stunned and completely clueless. Dick looks anxiously between the door and Bruce. Bruce doesn’t think he should go talk to Steph right away. Any conversation would probably be very unproductive and involve a lot of screaming and crying, since Steph is apparently mad at him.

When Bruce gives him a nod, Dick goes off to find her. The rest of the family sit in silence until Dick comes back. When he does, Bruce asks, “Did you talk to her?”

Dick says miserably, “Yes, but she didn’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“You did good.” Bruce tells him. “I”ll go talk to her in a few minutes when she’s calmer.”

The rest of breakfast passes in uncomfortable silence. When Bruce finishes eating, he goes to find Steph. He finds her in an alcove in one of the less trafficked wings of the Manor. Her arms are hugging her legs to her chest, and her head is tucked between her knees while sniffling sounds come from inside the ball she’s curled into. 

Bruce kneels down beside her and says gently, “Steph? Are you okay?”

“No!” she says forcefully.

“Okay.” he says. “You said you hate me. Can you tell me why?”

“Because - because you’re nice and you - you...you say I love you and…” Steph starts to cry more. “...and my dad is a  _ jerk _ !” she exclaims with a cry.

...Okay, so Steph is sad because she was watching Bruce with his kids and was reminded that her dad isn’t like that.

Now what is Bruce supposed to do about that?

“It’s okay.” Bruce says as Steph cries. “Do you need a hug?”

Steph responds by curling up against his chest as she continues to cry. Bruce puts his arms around her and rubs her back.

Eventually Steph stops crying and pulls back. Bruce looks her in the eyes. He says, “Steph, you are an amazing girl. You are good and kind, and so brave and strong. Your father doesn’t deserve you. And I know it hurts that he doesn’t love you enough to be a good father to you, and what he’s doing is wrong, but you don’t deserve it. You do have people who care about you. Your mom, for example. She loves you very much. And you have lots of friends that love spending time with you. So even though your father is a jerk, it doesn’t mean you aren’t loved. Okay?”

Steph nods. Then a little head of black hair appears as Tim peeks around the corner. He frowns nervously at them. Bruce beckons him over, and when he comes, Harper appears and follows after him. Then Jason comes around the corner, along with Cullen, and finally Dick appears too.

Bruce smiles at them all watching Bruce and Steph with concern. Bruce asks Steph, “Are you okay now?”

“Yes. I’m sorry I said I hate you.” she says contritely.

“It’s alright. I understand.” Bruce looks at the kids. “I have to take you home soon, Steph, but you can go play for a while.”

“Okay.” she says. Drying the last of her tears, she runs off with his other kids to play.

Twenty minutes later, while Bruce is reviewing funding options for Gotham Academy, Dick comes up to Bruce and slips his arms around his torso. Bruce reflexively puts one of his own arms around Dick, and Dick looks up at him with big eyes. “Babi,” he says, “can we keep Steph?”

Bruce’s eyes soften. “She has a mother. A mother that loves her very much.”

“Not a father.”

“Arthur Brown  _ is _ still alive. And he hasn't exactly disowned her.”

“He might as well have.” Dick spits with all the bitterness of a bighearted thirteen-year-old whose friend has been hurt.

“I know.” Bruce says sympathetically, squeezing Dick’s shoulders. “But just because I can't keep Steph here, and I can’t adopt her, doesn't mean we can’t be there to help her and her mother.”

Dick nods solemnly, and Bruce adds, “You have already been doing a good job of that. With your other siblings too, you have done well in being supportive and welcoming, when they first arrived, and the rest of the time too.” He adds in Romani, “ _ I’m proud of you, chum. _ ”

Dick buries his face in Bruce’s chest with a pleased smile. “ _ Thanks Babi. _ ”

Bruce kisses the top of his head. He can’t imagine his life without Dick and the other kids in it.

Then Bruce has to take Steph home. When Crystal opens the door that time, she looks relieved, but also upset. Bruce says, “Mrs. Brown, I think we need to talk about your daughter.”

“Of course.” she says. She sends Steph to her room to play, and invites Bruce into the house.

Bruce tells her, “From what I understand, Stephanie ran away and found her way into the East End. Batman found her wandering around, and she asked for me, so he took her to my house. And that is at least the third time she has run away from home.”

“She was found in the East End?” Crystal asks, distraught.

“Yes, but I was told she wasn’t there long, and Catwoman was out that night, so most of the criminals stayed inside.” Bruce tells her sympathetically. He adds, “You can see why I’m concerned.”

Crystal looks like she doesn’t believe that he’s really concerned, but she says, “Yes. I’m doing my best, I assure you.”

Bruce nods. “Of that, I’m sure, but does she have somewhere she knows she can go where she feels safe, when your husband or his friends are around?”

“I’m handling it.” she says.

“Okay.” Bruce says. After a pause, he adds, “Mrs. Brown, I want to arrange for some financial support for you and Stephanie.”

Her eyes turn sharp and wary. “I don't feel comfortable accepting charity from you.”

“Mrs. Brown, three of my children have lost a parent in ways that could have been avoided, if they had only had the help they needed. I don't want to see it happen again. Please, don't reject my offer out of pride.” Bruce pleads.

“Trust me Mr. Wayne, this is not about pride. I would sacrifice my pride in an instant if it meant doing the best for Steph. The issue is that I don't trust you. I’m not willing to accept things from a man whose motives are unclear.”

“What do you need from me to believe that I only want to help?”

“Trust can't be bought, Mr. Wayne.”

“You’re right. That was a stupid question. I’m sorry. I didn't mean to imply that your trust can be bought.” Bruce pauses for a moment. “My kids really love Stephanie. They’ve even been calling her their new sister. If you agree, we can set up playdates for them. I can bring my kids here, to your house, or you could bring Stephanie to my house, and you could be there to supervise. Then we can go from there. I won't ask you to accept anything.”

Crystal Brown remains silent, scrutinizing Bruce. Whatever she sees on his face lets her relent. “Alright. I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Brown.” Bruce says. “Perhaps we should exchange phone numbers.”

“Okay, and you should probably call me Crystal.”

Before Bruce leaves, Steph says goodbye to him, and he asks her to talk to her mom next time she wants to visit his family.

Steph does that, and the next week, Crystal calls and tells him that Steph has been asking to visit. They arrange a date for the upcoming weekend at the Manor. When Crystal and Stephanie arrive, Alfred lets them in the front gate, and Bruce meets them at the door. Crystal greets him politely, while Steph does so with much enthusiasm. Immediately, the other kids come running to escort her away to whatever games they want to play.

Dick comes a bit later, saying to Bruce, “ _ Alfie said to tell you that he just finished waxing the floor in the kitchen, and nobody is allowed in there until it’s dry, so lunch will be a bit late. _ ”

“ _ English, chum. _ ” Bruce reminds him, since he apparently hadn’t realized he was speaking in Romani. Alfred has drilled proper manners into all of them, one of those being that it’s impolite to speak in a language in front of people that they don’t understand. Given that the whole family has collected an assortment of different languages that they don’t all necessarily understand to the same degrees, Alfred applies this rule only to guests.

“Oh, right. Sorry, Mrs. Brown.” Dick apologizes. “Alfie waxed the kitchen floor, and lunch will be late.”

“Okay, thank you. I think the others went to Jason’s room, if you want to join them.”

When Dick leaves, Bruce offers, “Do you want tea, or coffee?”

“Tea, please.”

Bruce leads her to a sitting room, where there is a tray of beverages prepared. He pours her a cup of tea, and pours himself a cup of coffee, then they go find the kids. 

They find the kids in the hallway by the bedrooms. Harper is leading Stephanie and Jason around. When she sees Bruce, she announces, “We’re playing hide-and-seek.”

Bruce smiles. “Are you having fun?”

“Yeah.” she answers, and Steph goes into the next room.

Then they hear an exclamation, “Dick! How did you get up there?”

Crystal looks scandalized for a moment, before she remembers that Dick is the name of Bruce’s oldest. Bruce though, sighs. When Dick and Steph come out of the room, he says, “Dick, how many times…” 

“Sorry, Dad.” Dick says sheepishly. He adds in his defense, “It was stable.”

Bruce sighs again. He explains to Crystal, “Dick lived in a travelling circus before I adopted him. His parents were acrobats, and he has always liked high places. I keep getting afraid he’ll climb something that isn’t stable enough, and he’ll fall.”

“Have you been through the exploring stage with any of your kids?” Crystal asks.

“Yes, with Cullen. He is a calm kid, though. I didn’t have a lot of trouble with him, besides the surgery.”

Crystal asks about the surgery, and talks about when Steph was littler, while the two parents watch their kids play. They find Cullen, and Tim wins the game. Then, Jason asks, “Where’s Alfred?”

Bruce tells him, “In the garden, I think.”

Jason says to the other kids, “Let’s go find him!”

They all agree, and run to the garden. Crystal and Bruce follow, but at a more sedate pace. She asks, “Who is Alfred?”

Bruce answers, “Officially, my butler.”

“Unofficially?” Crystal asks.

Bruce shrugs. “He raised me. He’s family.”

Crystal looks at him, then nods. When they find the kids, Bruce pulls out a couple of lawn chairs for the two of them to sit on. The kids run around and play for a while, sometimes chatting with Alfred and watching him work, sometimes chatting with Bruce or Crystal, and mostly running around and chasing each other.

At one point, Cullen toddles up to Bruce’s elbow. “Daddy!”

“Yes, sweetheart?” Bruce asks, putting his arm around the little boy.

Cullen lifts his cupped hands and says, “Found a rock.”

It’s one of the white pieces that are put in potting soil for aeration. “That’s not a rock.”

“Wha’ is it?”

“That’s for plants. It helps them grow.”

“Food?”

“Kind of.”

Cullen slowly brings his hand to his mouth and Bruce puts out his own hand to intercept it. “Not for you, sweetie. It’s plant food, not Cullen food.”

Cullen lowers his hand and looks at Bruce with curious eyes. Then he grins and makes his way over to the nearest flower bed. He extends his hand to a flower, pushing his find against the flower’s petals. When nothing happens, he turns to look at Bruce sadly. “Won’t eat.” he says.

Bruce smiles and crouches in front of Cullen and the flower. “That’s because plants don't eat with their petals.” he says. He guides Cullen’s hands down to the dirt. “Here. They eat with their roots.”

Cullen’s mouth makes a little “o” and he pats the soil as Bruce buries the little piece. “Grow.” he says seriously, staring at the flower and pointing at it.

Bruce chuckles. “It’s growing.”

Cullen looks at the plant skeptically. Bruce tells him, “They grow slow, like you, but you helped.”

“I helped?”

“You did. You helped, and you did a very good job. This plant is going to get lots more pretty flowers.”

Cullen beams at him proudly and wanders off to find Tim.

While the kids play, Bruce and Crystal chat, mostly about their kids. Eventually, Alfred finishes gardening, and they go inside to eat lunch. When Crystal and Steph leave that afternoon, Bruce thinks that Crystal has maybe softened towards him a bit, which he’s happy about. The kids really like Steph, and Bruce is glad Crystal is open to letting them get together more often.

Which they do. The kids get together several more times, and after a few of those playdates, Crystal trusts Bruce enough to let Steph go to the Manor without her. They also go to Steph’s house a few times, and the additional five kids makes the house feel absolutely crowded, but Steph proudly shows the other kids her room and her toys.

On one of the visits to Stephś house, Bruce says, “I want to offer you a sign of good faith.”

Crystal looks like she’s about to say something, but Bruce raises his hand. “I’m not trying to give you money.”

Bruce remembers that she’s a nurse. He takes a breath before tugging up the edge of his shirt. It lifts to reveal a pink scar, clearly recent and from a bullet. Bruce says, “This is the scar I got when I was shot by Cluemaster while I was apprehending him.”

Crystal’s hand hovers several inches away from Bruce’s skin before she pulls it away. Her eyes lift to his face, staring at him as several pieces fall into place in her mind. “You’re Batman?”

Bruce nods once. “You brought Steph back that first time.” Crystal muses. Then she frowns, “Why tell me?”

“I trust you. You have been beginning to trust me with your daughter, and I wanted to give you something in return. Besides,” he says with a wry smile, “I didn't want you to hear it from Steph after my kids told her.”

“Your kids…”

“Are not involved. I’ve kept them safe.”

She looks him in the eyes for a moment, then nods. They go back to the conversation they were having before.

One day, Bruce gets a phone call from Crystal. She says in a voice that sounds a little shaken, “Something happened. Can you come talk to Stephanie?”

Bruce says yes and drives to their house. When Crystal lets him in and he asks what happened, she tells him, “It was one of Arthur’s old friends. He told me he’d changed and that he’d put that life behind him, and he was so kind, and I believed him. But I wasn’t thinking clearly because of the drugs, and I left him alone with Steph, and the next thing I know, she was screaming, and he was yelling at her.”

“What happened?” Bruce asks urgently.

“She hasn’t said, but I do know it wasn’t further than touching.”

“You want me to talk to her?”

“Yes. I...I’ve made mistakes. But she trusts you. She feels safe with you. Can you just...make sure she’s okay?”

“I will, but Crystal...she does-”

“Don’t.” she interrupts him. “Don’t try to make me feel better. I’ve made mistakes, and it’s time for me to do something about it. Just help her, please.”

Bruce nods, and he moves into the living room, where Steph is curled up at the end of the couch. He crouches down in front of her. “Steph?”

At the sound of his voice, she sobs and throws herself at Bruce. Bruce catches her and folds his arms around her. He glances over to where Crystal is standing. She’s crying too.

“It’s alright.” he says. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.”

They stay like that for a few minutes, then Steph stops crying. Bruce brushes the hair from her eyes and asks, “Can you tell me what happened?”

Steph shrinks in on herself, so Bruce says, “Okay, you don’t have to say anything. I’ll just ask you questions, and you can shake your head for no, or nod for yes. Is that okay?”

She nods slowly.

“Okay. Did that man touch you?”

She shakes her head.

“Did he try to touch you?”

She nods.

“Did he say something?”

A nod.

“Something that scared you?”

Another nod.

“Do you need another hug?”

Steph nods and leans forward, burying her face in his chest. He wraps his arms around her again and just holds her for a while. After a minute, he asks, “Do you want me to arrest that man?”

She answers with a muffled “Yes.”

After a while, Steph falls into a light sleep. Bruce lays her down on the couch, and Crystal asks him, “Do you think she can stay with you?”

“Of course.” he answers. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I need to...I think I need to get help.”

Bruce looks at her. “I can get you into a good rehab program.”

“That’s...I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

Bruce nods. When Steph wakes up, they tell her that she can have a sleepover at the Manor. She packs some clothes and some toys, and Bruce takes her home.

Arthur’s old friend is arrested before the sun has even finished setting that night.

Steph stays at the Manor for the next week while Crystal and Bruce discuss some things. Eventually, Crystal decides to accept Bruce’s offer, and she checks into the rehab facility. Bruce tells Steph that her mother is going on a trip.

They decide that Steph will stay with Bruce while Crystal is in rehab, and Crystal even accepts the first offer Bruce made, and Steph is enrolled in the same school Bruce’s kids go to. They decide to let her finish the year at her old school, though. Steph is quieter than normal for the first couple of weeks, but before long, she’s back to her old self.

For a while, things are strange around the Manor, because, as usual, there is an adjustment period while everyone gets used to Steph living there, but it doesn’t last long.

One morning, before school, Harper and Tim reach for the same pancake during breakfast, and Tim gets it first. Harper, still groggy and grumpy from waking up, exclaims indignantly, “You took my pancake!”

“What?” Tim, also groggy and grumpy, exclaims defensively. “No I didn't!”

“Yes you did!”

“No I didn't!”

“Yes, you did! I was going to take it and you knew it!”

“It wasn't yours!”

“My hand was reaching for it! You saw it!”

“So was mine!”

“I reached for it first!”

“I  _ got _ it first!”

“I don't care!”

“Well I don't care either! Take a different pancake!”

“No, I don't want to! That one has more chocolate chips.”

“No it doesn't!”

While the two argue, Steph eyes the pancake on Tim’s plate, the one they are fighting over. She reaches over and takes it. As soon as Tim notices, he turns on her, surprised and betrayed.

For a second, Bruce wonders what he’ll do. He isn't sure if Steph is included yet as a sister to the degree that they would be willing to fight with her.

Then Tim protests, “Give it back!”

Steph says, “No!” and holds the pancake out of reach. As the pancake flops around, still melted chocolate chips smearing on Steph’s hands, Bruce begins to realize that Alfred would not be happy. Jason sighs and Dick rolls his eyes. Cullen watches the argument like a ping pong match.

Tim grabs at the pancake, and just manages to catch it. He takes hold of it, and it tears in two. He puts his piece on his plate and makes a grab for the other piece.

Just as Harper reaches for the piece on Tim’s plate while he’s distracted with the one in Steph’s hands, Bruce stops them all with a stern, “Tim. Steph. Harper.”

They all freeze and look at Bruce with guilty expressions. Tim sits back in his seat. Harper removes her hand from the pancake half. Steph puts her pancake half down on her plate.

Tim starts to look like a kicked puppy, and Bruce has to think of something fast before that look gets them off scot-free. “You will all be helping Alfred with the breakfast dishes.”

Steph whines, “Aw, B…”

“Dad!” Tim complains.

And Harper starts, “But Dad…”

Bruce cuts them off. “Do I need to explain why fighting over a pancake was inappropriate?”

“It was Tim…”

“I didn't…”

“She st-”

They all attempt to defend themselves at once, but Bruce stops them again. “Enough. It doesn't matter whose pancake it was, or who started it. You all share the blame. You shouldn't have been fighting over it like that. Not only were you being inconsiderate to each other, but you were also being disrespectful towards Alfred.”

That chastises them significantly, and Bruce softens his tone. “Alfred worked hard to make you breakfast, and he wouldn't like it if you were being rude and fighting over the meal he prepared. Do you think it’s fair that you make it up to him by helping him with the dishes?”

“Yes.” they mumble.

“Good.” Bruce says more gently. “Wipe your hands with a napkin, and finish your breakfast. Then you can go help Alfred.”

They nod and do as he says. The rest of the meal finishes peacefully, and Bruce doesn't have to cajole them for them to help Alfred afterwards. The kids may give Bruce trouble sometimes, but they respect Alfred far too much to cause him any. Bruce gets it. He’s afraid of disappointing Alfred too.

Also, Steph is apparently a full member of the Wayne family now. Bruce knows this because she gives him just as many headaches as the rest of his kids.

Dick also starts teaching her acrobatics along with the rest of the kids. (Bruce wonders if people will believe him if he says his kids are just as good as the original Flying Graysons. Or at least Dick is.)

The first time Steph is allowed in the Cave, she meets Barbara, and Barbara takes an immediate liking to her. Bruce thinks she might like Batgirl more than Batman...which is fair.

She also demands that Bruce teach her to fight. At seven years old, Bruce thinks she’s old enough to start learning some defensive techniques, but he has to figure out how to discourage her from trying to learn the more advanced stuff.

In any case, Steph is part of the family now, which makes Bruce happy. (What doesn’t make him happy is that he can’t adopt her formally. Once in a while she slips up and calls him Dad, but most of the time, she just calls him B.)

**Author's Note:**

> Why yes, I am projecting, why do you ask?
> 
> Crystal and Bruce just had a reverse custody battle. When Crystal sin't in rehab, they share custody of Steph. She spends half the week with Bruce and the other half with Crystal. (They aren't getting married though.)
> 
> So...yeah. I literally don't recognize anything that comes out of my mouth (keyboard. Screen? Ao3 account?). I'm pretty sure if someone quoted my writing to me, I would have no idea what they're talking about.
> 
> I like Steph. She's great. I wish DC was nicer to her. They won't be, but I can dream, right?
> 
> So, anyway, tell me what you think. What was your favorite part? What made you gush? What made you cry? Was there anything that could be improved?


End file.
